The present invention relates to a vehicular antenna system and, more particularly, to a system that includes a configuration for a loop antenna which enhances reception performance.
Antennas integrated into parts of a vehicle are known. One approach is to use the de-misting heater grid on the rear screen as part of the antenna; see Japanese Patent Application No. 48-132005. Such an arrangement may be used with a separate element for AM reception; see EP Patent Application No. 0 155 647.
Some vehicles provide a suitable dielectric surface onto which a dedicated antenna element pattern can be formed. One example is the rear quarter window on a station wagon (estate car). Such windows are fixed, which allows the printing of a suitable antenna pattern. For example, the use of separate patterns to provide FM and AM radio reception was proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,159. Combining a pattern on a side window with elements on other windows to improve pattern coverage was proposed in EP Application No. 0 854 533.
A major problem with implementation of an antenna element on a rear quarter window of a vehicle is polarisation. Often the signal feedline needs to connect to the bottom of the window because of space limitations at the top and sides of the window frame. This means that the primary antenna currents are extending vertically, and there then exists correspondingly less horizontal polarisation (“horizontal polarisation” here signifying the horizontally-polarized component of the antenna signal). This causes problems for markets where broadcast signals are predominantly horizontally-polarised.